


Self-Sufficient

by BreathingDreamsLikeAir



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst and Humor, Dialogue Heavy, Doyoung needs a hug, Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung-centric, Light Angst, M/M, Mates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-03
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-01-21 04:57:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21293948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BreathingDreamsLikeAir/pseuds/BreathingDreamsLikeAir
Summary: Doyoung once was self-sufficient. Then he wasn't anymore.Or, TaeTen baby Doyoung in Uni, he makes friends with Taeil, Jungwoo and half a sports team.If only the dimpled Alpha that makes his heart beat erratically wasn't mated to his friend, Doyoung would be perfectly happy.Enter Lucas, to save the day.
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung, Kim Jungwoo/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas, Lee Taeyong/Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten, Moon Taeil/Suh Youngho | Johnny
Comments: 23
Kudos: 256





	1. Jungwoo

**Author's Note:**

  * For [jaedong1406](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaedong1406/gifts).

> This is from a prompt,  
"can you do a jaedo oneshot? >< alpha jaehyun courting omega doyoung but doyoung's bffs (taeten) are protective of him. happy ending pls hehe that's all<3"  
I am very certain, that its not a oneshot though, because this story stuck to me while I was brushing my teeth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Doyoung once was self-sufficient. Then he wasn't anymore.  
Or, TaeTen baby Doyoung in Uni, he makes friends with Taeil, Jungwoo and half a sports team.  
If only the dimpled Alpha that makes his heart beat erratically wasn't mated to his friend, Doyoung would be perfectly happy.  
Enter Lucas, to save the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has finally been beta read by @svnfuls.  
I will update all the chapters one by one once they are beta read and corrected.

Doyoung was waiting for Taeyong to come, pick him up since the older was driving him home. The protective-mom instincts that he began to exhibit all the way back in elementary had now fully emerged as the man drove, cooked and then provided emotional support to Doyoung.

He was sure his future kid would be very happy but he had become a bit over-bearing for Doyoung at times.

Doyoung wasn’t used to the calls and messages asking about his whereabouts every half-an-hour, no matter how much he knew how necessary it was.

Doyoung had always been one to come and go as he pleased, he was very self-sufficient and hardly worried about things being amiss, but since last year, life had progressively gotten harder for him

See, Doyoung had presented very late, a month before his 21st birthday. generally, people revealed their secondary gender between the ages of 13-21, but when he had neither woken up in a rut or in heat, he and everyone else had assumed him to be a beta, like his mom. It was good enough as well because despite being from an omega-beta pair, his older brother had presented as alpha. Doyoung still, had been taller than him, and now in the winter break of his first year, he had to wake up feeling immensely hot.

Due to the sudden outcome, he had to be pulled from the general dorm where betas and some alphas stayed in, away from his very nice roommate Taeil, who had been almost as sad as he himself was, to see him go.

Omegas had their own dormitory with air purifiers and secure locks to protect and prevent the enticing scent of heat from spreading around. Unfortunately, he couldn't get a room in the dorm mid-year and he had to wait for his second year to apply again.

Having no other choice, he moved in with his childhood friend Taeyong, who was in his second year and living with his mate, Ten.

It wasn't a bad outcome per se as Taeyong and Doyoung had grown up together, being best friends and neighbors, and Ten had joined them in high school, shifting from Thailand.

Doyoung, in fact, had been the one to introduce Ten and Taeyong to each other as the former was in his class and the later his neighbor.

It would have been a mistake though, for he had to endure both of them making heart eyes at each other over the next two years.

When he had heard the utter-bullshit that Taeyong was looking for a date for Junior prom, and he didn't have the balls to ask Ten, he had himself lock the two in his own bedroom until they got together.

Doyoung had always been efficient. He was the incorruptible quick-witted president of his school body and had also been the valedictorian.

He had similar ambitions for his time in the university as well but his presentation had put quite a damp on it.

Taeyong had his rut when he was 14, a bit young but not odd. Ten had already presented as an omega when he had joined their school.

That Doyoung present so late was uncommon, and he had been on the receiving side of many taunts from his peers during the vacation, as he had been quite the strict enforcer.

There had been some instances wherein a Christmas shopping trip had gone wrong, as he had run into some older classmates who had faced suspension due to him being a strict enforcer. it could have gone much worse if his brother had not been there.

Thinking about the events gave him a shudder.

His body had still not adjusted to the scents and smells, and as he stood by the doorway, an arch of his lecture room, he smelt a group of alphas, probably from some sports team sweatily passing by.

He knew that the majority of the people in the university were civilized, it was one of the top 3 after all so getting in was not an easy feat, however, his inner omega still had to adjust to reacting or being in the presence of such strong smells.

He could almost feel the stench of worry emitting from him, as the group approached and he thought to enter the lecture room again, but the professor had left for lunch locking it, and he did not want to wander around or wait in the driveway, which was far less safe.

As he was worrying about the best way to escape being publicly embarrassed by his hormones, he felt a gentle hand rub his shoulder. This person wasn't Taeyong, but he also wasn't someone threatening, or else his biology would have smelt that.

Doyoung turned around to come in contact with a boy, almost the same age as him, but a little taller. he had very fluffy hair, that gave him the appearance of an overgrown skinny mushroom. the boy smiled at him and emitted some scent that did relax Doyoung.

Doyoung frowned as this was not a normal omega habit, and he traced it to either Ten when Doyoung had a breakdown or his mom.

"Hi! I’m Jungwoo." The younger smiled easily and when Doyoung snapped back to reality he remembered his manners and let out a small smile. He noticed that the omega was handsome in a very aristocratic manner, and overall very pleasant to look at.

"I am Doyoung" he replied, with a little stretch of his mouth.

"There is going to be a sports team briefing here, so they’re going to be stunk up alpha." The younger said and scrunched his nose up at the last part. Seemingly displeased by it. Doyoung could only mirror it.

" Oh! I was waiting for my friend, but it seems he is running a little late." Doyoung said his eyes sifting through the crowd, hoping to spot his friend.

"You can come and sit with me in the nearby gardens while waiting, maybe?" Jungwoo offered, took Doyoung’s hand and led him away from the bustling corridor.

His hands were soft to hold on to, his overall demeanor being that of a very soft and calming puppy. Doyoung gave it a little squeeze in gratitude and moved forward.  
Jungwoo led him to the back end of the uni where the arts classes were taught, and into a garden. numerous students were mulling around, and Doyoung found it to be quite pleasant.

"I’ve seen this area before but I haven’t actually visited," Doyoung said as he sat down. Jungwoo just smiled at him and then after a while, added,

" I come here to cheer for my friends, they’re on a sports team, and they sometimes use the facilities here."

" Oh, you aren’t from here?" Doyoung asked as he typed a message to Taeyong, telling him where he was.

" No, I did get scouted though. I’m still in school, but there’s a summer workshop I want to attend, so I came to get the paperwork done for it."

Jungwoo said softly.

"Yeah, the school year would’ve already ended. It’s so weird, it’s hardly been a year but it feels like it’s been ages." Doyoung says, his mind running a quick breakdown of the past months.

"Are you in the first year then?" Jungwoo asks, slowly looking up at Doyoung.

" Yep, that’s me! I’m in the IT department, well, that and the business one," Doyoung said sheepishly.

Ten's comment on how not everyone needed to know how great Doyoung was was floating through his mind. He smiled a bit at that.

"Well, I’m gonna be in the English department. " Jungwoo offered.

"What’s the workshop about though?" Doyoung asked, accepting a juice box Jungwoo seemed to have procured out of nowhere.

" Well, it’s for modeling. Not actual modeling but the industry, the things that happen behind the camera. My mate is, uh, actually a model, so I just want to attend it to get a better idea." Jungwoo says, shyly playing with the straw of his own juice box.

"Oh, so is that why you were able to emit the calming scent?" Doyoung wondered aloud.

"Well, partially yes, but if you have a strong connection with your mate, then also you can emit it," Jungwoo says, finishing his juice box in one sip, and then opening a packet of cookies. 

He again offered one to Doyoung, but this time Doyoung declined.

"Did you present recently, or did you grow up surrounded by other sub-genders?" Jungwoo asked while munching.

"I did present recently, like at the beginning of the year. I thought I was going to be an omega." Doyoung said, his head hung. Such late presentations generally attracted a lot of comments.

"Hmm," Jungwoo said munching on what was probably his third cookie.

" I presented very early when I was like 12. it was tough because no one around me had presented. whenever they would, I would react very strongly. My boyfriend presented late last year, but he’s younger than you. I thought he’d be a beta because he was so outgoing and all, very friendly, the social beta nature, but he presented as alpha and it was so strong that I went into heat despite meds." By the time Jungwoo finished telling Doyoung his tale he had finished the packet of cookies and now was holding an apple.

Doyoung sympathized with the younger boy, but could also not control the chuckle that came at the young man, sitting grumpily, recalling his earlier years while munching on cookies. He was too cute. Doyoung wiped some crumbs off Jungwoo's face and the younger broke into a shy smile.

Then they talked about Seoul. Doyoung wasn’t from the city and only shifted for his uni. Jungwoo had grown up around the ni and was graduating from a school affiliated with the uni. It was an extremely competitive school that aimed at skills enhancement. Jungwoo told him about all the great places to eat, and in return, Doyoung told him about his own school days, with Taeyong and Ten. They exchanged numbers, with Doyoung promising to meet up with Jungwoo during the summer break, and by the time Taeyong's worried, apologetic flat ass came running towards them, both had become quite good friends.


	2. Cresendo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> another semester passes by and Doyoung becomes more of himself.  
Featuring the Dreamies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally supposed to be two chapters but I decided against it.   
Hope you enjoy!!!

The year ended without much drama, probably due to Taeyong's ever-watchful eyes, and during the break, Doyoung's family had surprised him with a trip. it had been a pleasant trip, just the four of them, as at last moment, his brother, who had been otherwise busy was able to make time.

His presentation had certainly put the family through a shock, but the vacation provided downtime and they had been able to understand each other. 

His father was contemplating early retirement when Doyoung graduated as they wanted to travel around and help people in need. His brother was serious about his present girlfriend and was contemplating whether to spend her heat with her or not.

Doyoung's lack of love life was met with approvals from all elders, which he was a little hurt over, as in school all that they teased him with, was to date or find a mate. He had an argument with his mother and brother regarding the same and was avoiding them by sitting near the pool, instead of going to sleep, where his dad found him.

"Aegi-yah! Don't be so angry at them. It is only there protective instincts that are making them act like that." His father said, sitting down.

"You looked quite happy as well back there, father." Doyoung grumpily said.

"Well, I was exceptionally relieved." At this Doyoung made a face and his father just ruffled his hair.

" you have been such a good child, never needing any help. other kids had dreams you had goals, ready with an action plan. I remember once you had a ppt ready to convince your brother why you should move to Seoul and live alone."

His father continued ruffling his hair and Doyoung had to let out a smile.

"You know I always wanted to be an efficient parent. Your brother was a moody child, we were very hands-on with him. he was so naughty that I worried when you were about to come. bu you had patience, and even more than that, what you had was perseverance. you have been such a good child Doyoung."

the ruffling at the top of his head stopped and an arm came across his back, reassuring him in the way only fathers can do. Doyoung leaned into his shoulder.

" I am glad that you presented late. It gives me an opportunity to flounder over you and baby you, even for a bit." His father said with a laugh, and Doyoung just groaned.

"I can't believe we are becoming a sappy family," Doyoung said after a while.

His father just sat with him, telling older tales they had all heard before, of his own presentation and how he had been courted. An experience full of advice for Doyoung.

He was glad.

After the break, he went back to Seoul. Taeyong and Ten had gone to Thailand to visit Ten's family, but Doyoung was adamant about living by himself. he had called around and gotten a job at the library.

in summer, hardly any students from undergrad visited it, but those pursuing their masters and PhDs could be found fretting around.

an advantage of the job was that his older roommate, Taeil, who himself was doing his Masters, and had promised Taeyong to keep a check around.

Doyoung often hung ou with him after work and had started to invite the older to his home, since the mess was closed and the older had to get take out every day.

Cooking for just one person was annoying, and Taeyong's kitchen was too pretty to not use.

the two had become very good friends and were checking out a movie about aliens in the nearby mall when Doyoung heard someone call his name.

Both of them turned to see a light pink hair running towards him and then hugging him hard.

he would have been worried, but his body knew this scent, and when he saw the face of this person, he realized why.

"Hyung" Jungwoo let out a whine, "I lost my phone and I didn't have your number. I thought I should go to uni to ask about you but they were shut. I hope you didn't think that I didn't wanna hang out with you because I did. I told about you to Hyung so many times that even he knows you now." Doyoung just held the baby, while he talked animatedly, sharing a look with Taeil who just smiled. 

Finally, another person approached them, albeit hesitantly. he was an alpha, and a powerful one. Doyoung had no choice but to let out a sharp exhale as he came closer to them.

"Hi! I am Johnny. I am with Jungwoo." the man said sheepishly and Doyoung took notice of how tall the man was.

he was standing next to Taeil, and the height difference was quite something.

Jungwoo untangled himself then and introduced Johnny as a friend of his mate. Johnny was, in Jungwoo's words a geek and had dragged him to watch some alien movie because he couldn't finish the popcorn by himself. 

The taller one was pretty much the nicest alpha Doyoung had met, witty but respectful. The four of them talked for a bit and came to know that Johnny was in their uni as well, albeit a year above Doyoung and was doing Mass Communications. 

By the time the movie was about to start, Jungwoo and Johnny went to get their tickets, only to return dismayed as the show had sold out. Johnny was quite sad since he was a fan, and had been looking forward to the director's work, and Jungwoo sadder because he would not get the free food.

Sensing an opportunity, Doyoung gave his ticket to Johnny, since they had purchased them online, and sent the two to watch. there were some protests, but once he declared his intention of chatting up with Jungwoo in a nearby cafe, the youngest quickly persuaded his tall friend.

"That was smart," Jungwoo said as the two later settled on plush chairs at quite the fancy cafe.

"So you also noticed the pink dots on Taeil hyung's cheek?" Doyoung asked, going through the menu.

"no, but I did notice Johnny hyung's eyes going back to a certain beta through the conversation."

Both of them had a good laugh.

The four of them hung out again as well, and by the time Jungwoo's workshop started, mid-summer, Johnny and Taeil were going on dates.

Jungwoo would on some days come and visit him during his lunch. Jungwoo had been worried about moving out from his parents' house and shifting with his mate. Doyoung could only be envious at that.

Apparently, his mate was busy with too many activities, such as sports, modeling and overall being a social butterfly. Doyoung was not envious of that.

By what seemed to be very soon, the break was over and Doyoung was again head over heels busy with his double masters. He had chosen to not intern in the industry to adjust to his presentation, but his transcripts seemed to be lacking. That everybody else disagreed did not particularly matter, but either way, Doyoung found himself another part-time job, acting as a supervisor and link between some coders who were all teenagers and in school, and a gaming software company. 

his team called themselves Dream and seemed to have one issue after the other, as he realized after three months of work. They all seemed to be either worrying about presenting, presenting, or adjusting after presentation. this was not at all an issue, just a minor inconvenience that involved some projects being rescheduled or pushed back. 

Things that actually drove Doyoung crazy were the teenagers and their hormones. they either seemed to be having one big polyamorous relationship, or next day fighting about who got to cuddle whom, or who took other to dates. it was only the youngest of the two, Chenle and Jisung who seemed to be chill, but they made him go on too many food runs, claiming they needed the food to grow up, and not be midgets like Renjun, who was the eldest.

Apart from this, Ten and Taeyong had returned from Thailand with a promise to get engaged, which made absolutely no sense to Doyoung, and were again in a honeymoon stage, that involved Doyoung having to see too much of either of them.

By the time, the fall break rolled around, Doyoung just wanted to go home and sleep, but as fate would have it, he soon felt the pinpricks and ache at the bottom of his tummy, and while at the dorm/hangout area that was the dream office, let out a sweet smell, that alerted a bit too many people.

he was going into heat. his vacation, that he had been so looking forward to had to be canceled.

The entire 00 line of the Dreamies had walked him home, as they were worried about what may happen, and Doyoung could only groan in pain and to convey his thanks.

this was his third heat so far, and something that he had noticed was that all of his heats happened during vacation. whether this was good or bad, was something Doyoung couldn't decide.

He only had to enter his home for Taeyong to come and smell his neck.

Taeyong scented him occasionally, for protection, but this was more due to his heat than anything else.

Ten gave him a sympathizing smile and ushered him to his room. they got all the necessities for him, and Ten informed that his heat was affecting Taeyong a bit, which meant it was going to be quite powerful, and both of them made their way to visit Taeyong's sister.

Jungwoo and Taeil came to hang out in his living room, making some food for him, and while he was thankful, all he really could do was not double up in pain.

he hated heats. Doyoung had been told that due to his late presentation, his heats would be longer and more wrecking oh his body. he had also been told that they would be more painful as they progressed until he was either mated or sated.

the idea of hooking up with a random alpha sounded quite appealing, but Doyoung could not live with the worry of following imprints, or bites.

He was not even going to think of this, he decided, and what seemed after a lifetime, his heat got over, only for the break to end and him getting swamped in even more work, and prep as exams were approaching.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was now almost Christmas and before they all left for their homes, Johnny decided to have a small get together. Jungwoo volunteered his apartment and Doyoung invited Ten and Taeyong. the Duo had often met Jungwoo and Taeil, but not Johnny.

he was waiting for Johnny to come to pick all of them up when they started joking about Jungwoo's mysterious mate.

all that they knew about him was that he was tall, super pretty and had the best smile. He was also the nicest person ever and was super friendly and made everyone feel comfortable.

Doyoung decided to reserve his opinion on the last one. the semester had seen many alphas asking him out, but Taeyong acted as a barrier, and Ten would then stalk them until he found something Doyoung agreed would be a deal-breaker.

Sharing a tweet from Donald Trump, and supporting him, nope, Doyoung didn't even want to talk to the guy. Surprisingly, Ten had made good friends with two of the Dream kids, Jisung and Jaemin, as they both attended a dance studio where Ten worked at. 

Jaemin had hurt his back and needed the activity as an exercise and Jisung loved to dance. He would even threaten the others to treat him well, or else he would leave to become an idol, and take Chenle with him.

The kids now had become Doyoung's own and he felt he was their manager rather than a supervisor. Jaemin had once searched up a guy who had asked Doyoung out via text and found out he contributed videos to a porn site. 

Since then, Doyoung had given up on his argument of invasion of privacy and allowed Ten to do whatever he wanted.

Doyoung was certain that he would probably end up spending all his heats in pain while getting off the elevator at Jungwoo's apartment when he smelt it.

An Alpha, smelling like peaches and cotton. Doyoung almost felt himself get dizzy but Jungwoo's excited hug at meeting him cemented him for a while.

He went in and immediately went to one of the balconies, overlooking the city it was an expensive apartment for a pair of college students, but Jungwoo's mate seemed to be doing pretty well for himself.

Doyoung was forcing thoughts in his head to ignore the smell permeating throughout the apartment. Forcing himself to focus on anything other than the owner of this smell and throw himself at him. he held on to the metal railing, with quite the strength, when he felt the smell envelop him.

He turned around to see a man, slightly taller, with an impish grin, and beautiful white skin. he looked a bit younger than Doyoung and honestly could have been on the covers of any magazine. Maybe he was one of Jungwoo's model friends. Such beauty could hardly be kept hidden from the rest of the world. it would be a crime.

Doyoung for a brief moment saw images flitting his mind, he with this man, laughing and intimate. he with this man.

Doyoung forced himself to smile, his prettiest one that he could muster. never had he felt his status and the connotations that arose from him. there was Taeyong, Ten, his family and his own will between him and every alpha, but here with this one, there were none.

"Are you enjoying the view? I am fond of it as well. its one of the reasons I chose this place." the man said, even his voice was beautiful. Doyoung wanted to listen as much as he could. he just nodded hoping the man would speak some more.

"Oh!" the man exclaimed and Doyoung almost wept from where all and how he could imagine this man moaning, it would be such a wonderful sound, better than any crescendo.

" I am Jaehyn, I live here, with Jungwoo." It was the pause before the thundering clap, the emptiness that made your ears pop, that screaming silence that welcomed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might have been wrong about the musical reference since most of it comes from me binging Nodame Cantabile in 2013.   
Please excuse me for that.  
Apart from it, please leave Kudos and comments. I am fairly new at writing fanfiction and you guys have no idea how much any support or indication that a work is aappreciated or atleast read means.
> 
> I also know there there are a lot of gramatical erros so forgive me for that.


	3. Valentine's Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: this is a little bit NSFW, like a little naughtier.  
Doyoung is heartbroken and throws himself in work.  
There is the very cute snippet of JohnTaeil being fluffy.  
Jaehyun's POV, finally.  
Also excuse the Valentine's boy, he behaves better most of the time, but here, he is grumpy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sorry for the late update but I have a cold, and it is killing me. I also have exams right now but I am really excited and determined to finish this by this week.  
The first half of the next chapter is almost done, I am just wondering how much i can trouble them for a bit.

Doyoung had just plastered a smile, it was his, 'I don't know how to react ' face and he was sure it was awkward, but Taeyong had called his name just then, and he left, without replying.  
He had grabbed Ten's hand frantic and the omega had sensed some distress. the three had left instantly, citing Doyoung feeling rather unwell. Taeil, Jungwoo, and Johnny understood his sensitive condition and let it be at that, wishing him the best for the holidays.  
On the taxi ride home, Doyoung could feel pinpricks all around him. his clothes against the skin felt too heavy. his skin burned and he could feel a layer of precipitation on him. he wanted to skin a layer of himself to feel normal.  
He felt pain as well, and by the time the three reached their home, Doyoung was burning up. it couldn't have been his heat, because he had come out of it just last week, but it felt like it, only so much worse.

This time, he was leaking out enough for Ten to be worried about dehydration and Taeyong left to his sister's house again. it was worse because this time around he knew exactly why he wanted, an alpha, white-skinned and dimpled, with a small impish smirk and a calming smile, which felt welcoming. an alpha whose arms Doyoung had only ever seen under a sweater, but dreamed of being in. Pretty fingers that were a split second of memory when the alpha had wound them against the thin railing, Oh but what all could Doyoung imagine them to do.

Doyoung had heard of this, some alphas attracted omegas around them as their inner alpha provided comfort to all omegas around, they used to be pack leaders in a less developed world, where monogamy wasn't the norm. But could Doyoung do? He had only felt this way about one alpha, an alpha who had been mated to his friend.

A part of Doyoung, the inner omega wanted to run into the apartment, in heat, because it was sure the alpha would claim him then and there, the other was remembering all the names he had heard, omegas who chased mated alphas were called.

Mated alpha meant an alpha who could provide, and the very biology of an omega wanted a provider, for food, shelter, love, and kids. those omegas who failed to get such alphas often ended up chasing mated ones, inserting themselves between mate bonds and primal marks. Doyoung had always found them to be lowly, unable to find their own way. he disliked them the same way he disliked his peers who stole the research to develop their assignments. such people were deceitful and all they wanted was to inflict pain.

That he would think of seducing Jungwoo's alpha, the same Jungwoo who had provided such help and support to him, the same Jungwoo who blushed whenever he received messages from his mate and would gush about his new projects, how could he really, be so low?

...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................

As soon as he felt slightly better, which meant able to leave the house on his own, he thanked Ten profusely and went to his hometown, holing himself up in his childhood bedroom, coming out only to have food. he started early on his work and got another kid, Yangyang from Germany under him. he skyped with him and got all his work settled up. by the time the vacations ended mid-Jan, and Doyoung had completed a year of presentation, he started to feel a bit easier in his skin. the smell of other alpha's stopped disturbing him and affecting him as much, and he was almost a week ahead of everyone in the class and at work. 

He mostly hung out with Taeil, when he was in college, both of them sitting and working in the library. he ignored a couple of plans to meet Jungwoo up but then decided to just text the guy. he told him how busy he was this semester and Jungwoo understood, though both of them did, in fact, text each other almost every day.

One day, Jungwoo came by the library, carrying some pieces of cake, which surprised Doyoung and Taeil both.

"It is my mate's bday in Feb, but he has to go and have some photoshoot, so we celebrated early. I got you both some cake." Jungwoo said brightly, though he seemed a bit hesitant, at which Doyoung felt angry at himself.

Just because he was thirsting for his friend's mate, didn't mean that the friend had to be ignored to the extent he would feel bad. Doyoung hugged him hard, holding on for a long time, even if he could smell traces of Jaehyun that made him feel flutters in his tummy from Jungwoo's sweater.

"You baby," Doyoung said, ignoring his own heartbreak, as he allowed himself to be happy for Jungwoo, just a little bit. Even if his bitchy inner omega felt like it was the better option, at least Jaehyun had a great mate, after all, who couldn't love Jungwoo.  
Had Doyoung met him earlier, he would have mated with the omega himself.  
Convincing himself these days had become a bit easier, still a mountain to climb, but at least he wasn't barefoot in the scorching sun.

\-----------------------------

Johnny and Taeil had now been steadily dating for six months. the older was everything the younger was not. Johnny was surrounded by so many people yet was older than them all, the closest in his circle was Taeyong, but Taeil, despite his tiny size was wiser. 

Tthe affections Johnny felt for Taeil hit him in waves. Taeil was mostly busy with his masters, but the day his exams had ended, Johnny had come home almost dead. he had been a good student, but it was harder for him to write papers as the often struggled to find words in the language he was writing. it was one of the downsides of being multi-lingual.

Johnny was never much of a messy person, but he was also only human.

He had left his room in a frenzy, with books and paper strewn about. he hadn't changed his bedsheet since exams had started, and he had been eating on takeout because his tiny kitchenette had run out of all supplies. 

What he didn't expect to come home to, was a clean room. his laundry had been put in the laundromat bag, the papers were piled up in a neat stack and all his stationery was at its place, with even the pens, markers and pencils divided, the way he usually did. his books were kept in an organized pile on a chair. it was that very chair that had been bearing the burden of Johnny's existence for the past two weeks and it was empty, save for a stack of books. there were even some fruits on the counter, but most important was the fact that Johnny had come home to a clean, warm bed, warm because Moon Taeil was sleeping in it. Johnny had a single, but it was customized to fit in his long limbs, and Taeil, cuddled with his favourite stuffed toy, Blue.

Johnny's hunger disappeared as he took a quick shower and then dressing up in some comfortable clothes cuddled next to Taeil. The smaller seemed to sense his presence even in deep sleep and turned around, discarding Blue and hooking an arm over Johnny's shoulder. Taeil fit in snuggly against Johnny's tall frame and the younger wrapped both his arms around his midriff, pulling him until they were no longer on their sides but on top of each other.

He felt a ghost of a kiss against his jaw, as Taeil shifted a bit, making himself comfortable.

"Sorry Johnny, I can’t be your omega, but ...." the rest of his words were inaudible murmurs that Johnny didn't try deciphering. his heart clenched up, he hadn't thought that Taeil would worry about things like this, because Johnny had been with omegas before, but Johnny's own attention-seeking nature and his own feelings were often subdued in those relationships. 

He just hugged Taeil tighter, dropping a kiss to the top of his head, and promising himself to show Taeil how much he cared for him.

\----------------------------

Johnny and Taeil as a couple were probably the group parents, not just due to their age but also because none of the others seemed like a good option. Ten and Taeyong would have been a close second if they didn't try trying to overshare their bedroom activities with others all the damn time.

So, either way, both were used to their friends coming to them for advice, what they were however not used to was a very troublesome Jung Jaehyun flopping his butt at Johnny's bed.   
"Johnny!!" the younger whined, "You don't understand, that man smelled so good like I wanted to ask him out just then."

"Johnny was folding his laundry and just gave an exasperated look at the younger.  
"Then why didn't you?" he asked in a monotone voice.

"He reeked of another Alpha, and he left before I could even ask his name. Johnny, you don't understand, he felt like, like everything. But he was already mated by someone else."   
Johnny felt a little sympathetic at that. 

Jaehyun, despite being a valentine boy, had always been on the receiving end of love. he never so much so had a crush but had dated a fair share in school, as he found out that if you were dating someone, you wouldn't have to listen to proposals all around.

All of his exes had known about this, and were very happy to date Jaehyun, even if for a little while, and he still maintained good relations with them. he had even attended two of their weddings.

Johnny decided that he would do god's work and find out this omega. even if they were mated, at least having confirmation and closure would help. 

He asked Jaehyun to describe the object of his affections, and the younger paced around the room, describing a beautiful face and long limbs, which had Johnny internally groaning. 

Suddenly, Jaehyun shrieked and Johnny turned around to see what had happened. Jaehyun was pointing to his table which had a couple of pictures taped. Taeil had done it recently.  
"are you jealous you don't have a pic Jeffery? Taeil didn't have any of yours."

"Johnny its him. The guy who left. It’s him." This took Johnny with a bit of surprise and he got up to see what Jaehyun was pointing at. It was a photo they had taken in a garden one day, when the sun had come out id-winter. Taeyong and Ten were lying on the ground, soaking up the heat, while him and Taeil took the selfie. Jungwoo was stuffing his face with a burger, while Doyoung was shouting at him to eat slowly.

Doyoung, an omega with a beautiful face and long limbs. Johnny would have never made the connection because while Doyoung was tall, he was still short to Johnny and Doyoung's resting bitch was mostly replaced by a look of grimace or scowl, depending upon who he was hanging out with that day, Jungwoo or TaeTen.

"You fell in love with Kim Doyoung?" Johnny laughed. They would make a nice couple he thought but, it was still too funny.

"Why are you laughing? his mate is also in the pic, I saw him summoning him with just a look, I couldn’t even recall what he said."  
Ooh Johnny was having too much fun with this.

"And who is his mate?' Johnny asked, curious to hear Jaehyun's answer.  
"It’s that red-haired skinny guy, the one who looks like he is cuddling a cat-human hybrid. OMG he is cheating on him?" Jaehyun continued to exclaim and Johnny fell on the floor laughing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys please leave kudos and comments and tell me where you can see me improve.  
And please be gentle.


	4. Charge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaehyun's POV  
Involves him being a hormonal dick and a lot of clarifications for our dear readers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know you guys waited for this.  
I am sorry for being late as I fell sick, like I had a test and I vomited during it.  
I wanted this chapter to be a bit longer but I had written the first half of it already.  
I wanted to tease Jaehyun a bit more, but for some reason, TaeTen are your proper parents in this one.  
Either way, I hope you enjoy.  
As usual, please ignore any writing errors.

Jung Jaehyun was a man on a mission. The mission was to get single omega, as confirmed by Johnny, Jungwoo and Taeil to fall in love with him, so that he could love him and hold his hand and take care of him till the end of time.

There were also a lot of others things he wanted to do, but at present, it all seemed to be impossible, thanks to the two thorns in his hide, Lee Taeyong and Chittapon Leechaiyapornkul, aka Ten. Jungwoo didn’t make enemies, but the two had climbed up to take the top spot in his list of nemeses and rivals.

Since the day he had been blessed by the knowledge that the love of his life, was most certainly not taken by any anime character-looking alpha, Jaehyun had decided two things, his friendship with Johnny which was now at least an decade old was actually worth something, and he was going to try his best to court Kim Dongyoung.

Jaehyun had made all of Jungwoo's favourite food at home one day and kept feeding him while the younger, like a canary started to talk about Doyoung at just a little bit of prompting. 

Did he feel Guilty? No, well yes a little bit.

Especially when Jungwoo told him never to approach him alone, as the omega was not attuned to alpha smells well so far.

He thought that would be easy, but it seemed to be a mountainous task as the omega was either alone, studying with a scowl on his face, whenever he was in the library. yes, Jaehyun had decided to stalk him, or surrounded by the couple from hell. It seemed Lee Taeyong had the most exceptional nose, for he could smell Jaehyun from a mile away and then direct Doyoung away.

Now, it was the final week, and Jaehyun had been unable to approach the omega so far. He only came on campus to give his examinations and even then, Lee Taeyong or his mate picked and dropped him, whisking him away before Jaehyun could even approach.

One day, he had enough as he saw the alpha buying some blueberry cakes at a nearby cafe in the neighbour hood. 

It seemed that the alphas superior sense of smell failed him, as he seemed genuinely shocked when Jaehyun crept up behind him.

He was a bit shocked, and had almost dropped the dessert package, before balancing himself at the last possible second.

"Jung Jaehyun" the alpha, who was now silver haired said. 

"Lee Taeyong" Jaehyun replied, and the both just continued to stare at each other, though Jaehyun felt some pin pricks. the other alpha had doe like eyes in a face carved out of stone.

Jaehyun knew he was handsome, but Lee Taeyong was something quite else.

"Why are you staring at me?" Jaehyun asked, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

"You came here and approached me. I am merely wondering why." The other replied, in a tone so controlled, Jaehyun wondered if the other had ever lost at cards, probably not.

"I want to know why you are always getting in the away of me approaching Kim Doyoung." he said straight up, even surprising himself.

it seemed that Taeyong as well had not expected his straightforwardness, looking around a bit sheepishly.

the alpha just grabbed his package and then took Jaehyun by the arm, dragging him out.

"Why do you want to approach Doyoung?" Taeyong asked, outside. he had put the package in his car, the very same one he picked Doyoung with. Jaehyun almost fell jealous as the car had had more interaction with Doyoung then Jaehyun himself

"Why are you asking me this? Are you his dad or what?" Jeyhun asked, feeling irritated at the situation over all.

Taeyong didn’t say anything, but a slight twitch of his eyebrow was enough to indicate that Jaehyun had said the wrong thing.

"he is in my care indeed. His parents have entrusted me with his care. Seeing as you have no decisive reply as to why you wish to approach him, I am not going to allow you to interact with him." Taeyong said coolly, and Jaehyun felt the hairs at back of his neck stand up at the sudden drop in temperature his body faced.

Jaehyun could feel Taeyong’s alpha radiating strength, and his own was weaker, still unmated. 

"You must have fun being a cockblocker" Jaehyun said.

He didn't see the punch coming.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day, he was following Doyoung, who had a presentation for his Business major. his future mate was so smart, Jaehyun thought to himself, though he looked a bit wary, standing by the arch of the lecture room, no doubt waiting for Taeyong or Ten to pick him up.

He seemed to be a bit jittery and Jaehyun was worried. Was their something wrong with Doyoung? He went a bit closer only to see Doyoung's aggravation increase, but before he could do anything, he saw the shiny silver head, and Lee Taeyong, who seemed to have smelled Doyoung's worries, took him by the hand and guided him home. 

His hand, which had a bandage wrapped around it did little too soothe Jaehyun. Jaehyun himslef felt a bit weird about the same, as he was never an agressive person, but every time lee Taeyong showed up, Ten and Doyoung's scent mixed up with his, he felt like fighting.

He was calming himslef, lying down snuggled with Jungwoo at home who was recoverying from a very strained good bye. He knew that the young couple needed the money the modeling gigs brought, but it came at the cost of both, Jungwoo's sense of security, whenever his mate left, and the education of the younger one.

Both of them had mated very early and the reaction from thier families wasn't exactly supporting. Jaehyun had at first just found it a bit uncommon whenever Xuxi would be at the Suh house, sleeping in a guest, but then it also became Jungwoo who would stay over.

It took him a while to understand the volatile situation as while Jungwoo's parents had no input or interest, they were against Xuxi staying with them, an Xuxi's own family had reacted very strongly, opposing Jungwoo as they preferred someone either Cantonese or Thai. 

Xuxi, in anger had changed his name from Cantonese to Chinese and had also left his house, though Johnny had urged him to stay at his place for a while, and atleast get a GED. 

Xuxi had done so, but had also accepted an offer from an agency who had been pursuing him for a while, only to get declined by his parents.

It had barely been a year since he started working, and juggling school activities, but he had landed a big gig and the payment for that resulted in the down payment for the very nice apartment. Jaehyun just moved in and paid rent, and cooked for the two. it was saddening to see someone as lovable as Jungwoo be so down. his parents couldnt even identify who was the mate, notr had they ever bothred to know. they were just a tad bit dissapointed that they couldnt offer Jungwoo to the highest bidder. His father had even said the same once, though in different words at a lunch table which has prompted Xuxi to get up and leave in anger.

"Will you not tell me who you fought with?" Jungwoo asked, the youngerwas stroking his hair and Jaehyun strangely remebered his mom doing the same, when he was far younger.

"I found out someone that I want to court." Jaehyun could feel Jungwoo getting excited, as his fingers stopped momentarily and then continued, as if newly charged.

"I have raised you better than to ever get into a fight with an omega," Jungwoo said.

"You havent raised me, I raised you. I am older." Jaehyun puffed.

"Maybe earlier, but since i got with Xuxi, i am very sure that I am the one doing the raising. See, you are coming home after getting into a fight ovver a crush. Isnt this middle school again? "

Jungwoo seemed to have forgotten that half of those fights that he got into were because of Jungwoo who'd be either too friendly or too shy.

"He is a friend of yours, Lee Taeyong." Jaehun let out, while sitting up on the couch.

"You have a crush on Lee Taeyong? I mean I can see why. He's very good looking and cooks even better than you.. You would be the perfect couple but, he is already mated." Jungwoo said, giving a hug at the last part. Jaehyun shrugged him off.

"Eww no, I dont't want anything to do with that skinny, wiry, wretched alpha and his demon spwan of a mate."

Jungwooo laughed at his. "Doyoung also called him a demon spwan." he said with a gigle and the dreamy breath that left Jaehyun's lips, seemingly taking all of his energy away as he swayed down to lie on the sofa again, very well communicated his dilemma.

jungwoo jumped and got off in one fluid motion, " you have a thing for Doyoung?" Jaehyun gave a small nod.

"Kim Doyoung?"

Jaehyun closed his eyes, imagining the tall omega and gave a slight nod, picturing the man to wrap his arms aroungd his waist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, please leave your commets and feedback.  
Also leave kudos, if you so wish.  
Now only one final chapter is left, or will their be another one as an epilogue?  
Let's wait and see.


	5. Everything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one in which everything happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the longest chapter I have written and it took like a week.  
This is the end, but there will be an epilogue that I will add later, probably not in the next week though.  
Hope you enjoy it.

Not talking to Jungwoo earlier about his crush on his best-est friend had been a glaring mistake.  
Jungwoo had invited Doyoung, Taeil and Johnny out to a cafe, that he had been pestering them all to try. Jungwoo had warned him earlier that Doyoung was very sensitive to unmated alpha vibes and hence, he had to sit a bit away from Doyoung, but Jaehyun was happy just to be sitting on the same table, or in the same building honestly.  
As fate would have it, the Sunday that was agreed upon, was also the day when Xuxi came back, early morning. it only took one pleading look from Jungwoo, for all his jet lag to disappear. Jungwoo had patiently answered Jaehyun's query about how there was absolutely nothing going on between Taeyong and Doyoung. When Jaehyun grumbled about the scent overlapping, Xuxi just wrapped his freakishly tall arms around him, and stated how Jungwoo smelled more like Jaehyun than him, and then proceeded to lift him up and spin around.  
When they finally reached the cafe, they were running a bit late, possibly due to an impromptu cuddle session at home.  
They arrived at the cafe to see Taeil, Johnny and Doyoung already seated. there were two others as well, talking to Taeil, and Jaehyun could smell the mating bond on them.

Jungwoo ran over to where Doyoung was sitting, at the edge, in front of Taeil and sat down on his lap. Johnny just laughed at this. Doyoung seemed to have taken a whiff off Jungwoo as a frown made his face, but disappeared soon, as Jungwoo began talking, replaced with that keen fondness that any conversation with Jungwoo induced.  
After a minute, he turned around, remembering his two housemates, and introduced his mate. Jaehyun noticed how Doyoung's expressions focused on him, when Jungwoo said mate, only to pale as Lucas went and sat down next to him, and Jungwoo wedged between them.

"This is Jaehyun." Jungwoo said, "He is like my and Lucas's child." Lucas very seriously nodded at that.  
"Both of you are younger than me, and if anything, I have raised you," he said, trying his best to shut Johnny up who was cackling like a giant whale.

Taeil, having all the patience, he hoped someone who had willingly decided to hang out with Johnny, introduced the other two men as Winwin and Yuta. One of them was Taeil's new roommate and they had met through the international student association. Jaehyun didn't even know that was a thing, but then Johnny started talking about it, and even Lucas butted in, saying he knew a couple of students in it.

Xuxi at this point knew more people in their university then Jaehyun, and he didn't even attend it.  
Jaehyun didn't say much, throughout the luncheon, he only answered when prompted and he noticed that Doyoung remained quiet as well, in the few sparingly moments he had a chance to speak when both Jungwoo and Xuxi remained quiet. Yuta and Johnny became good friends and Winwin and Taeil just whispered amongst themselves. Winwin had a Chinese accent, but there was an underlying accent that he had never heard, he was asking about it, when Doyoung's phone rang, startling them all.

"Ah! It's Ten. He needs me for a while. Is it okay?" He asked looking around a bit, with a bit of hesitation. Most agreed, with Jungwoo giving him a hug. Doyoung met his eyes briefly while leaving, and Jaehyun just gave him a small smile, accompanied with a nod. There was a slight shift in his eyes, and Jaehyun realized that Doyoung was extremely good at controlling his facial reactions.

That night later, the three of them were watching a movie someone Xuxi knew had worked in. Jungwoo was cuddling with him while he told them both about the pain of shooting in a desert, but it had come out well. In the past few months, Jungwoo and Xuxi, who had always been his good friends, had surpassed that to become his family. Jungwoo had always been his family, being a distant cousin, and Xuxi was just that junior in school that him and Johnny had somehow adopted. The three had bonded well over belonging to the small percentage that spoke English well and had lived outside of Korea. Jaehyun had even tutored the younger when he was still in middle school. he had seen both of them growing up, remembering with a fond distaste, the moment he had realized that both had surpassed him in height.

Jaehyun had known them for at least a third of his life, but now, that line had been erased. They were his family and he was theirs.   
it seemed that the other two had somehow heard his thoughts as they came and sat down on both his sides and then proceeded to put him in the middle of a cuddle sandwich.  
"Hyung", Jungwoo spoke up after a while, "Why didn't you talk to Doyoung Hyung? I mean I know you just met him first time, but you didn't address him at all." Jaehyun let out a small smile at that, remembering Doyoung's expression when their eyes had met.  
Xuxi it seemed, had seen that smile as he let out a big noise, though honestly, when was Xuxi not letting out big noises. 

"Oh, Hyung do you have a plan?" Xuxi asked, shifting himself, and hence all three of them in a manner that both of them were sitting, and Jungwoo was lying on top of both of them.  
"Not a plan really, but he knows who I am, that I am a bit interested in him, and that I am available. I am just going to sit back and wait for him to approach me. So technically there is no plan. But I do plan on being in his periphery so that he thinks about me several times a day."

Xuxi and Jungwoo just shared a look, and then both let out a loud exclamation. well loud for other people, for them, it was normal.  
"This is the best plan ever. You are basically going to be yourself, and just like everything else around you, Doyoung will be taken in by you and come talk to you?" Jungwoo said, exclaiming. Jaehyun just nodded.

Jungwoo was excited and so was Xuxi, though the tall baby fell asleep pretty soon, his work schedule catching up to him. Jaehyun and Jungwoo somehow carried him to their bed and he also decided to wash up and sleep, when his phone blew up from a text from Johnny.  
He was a bit confused at the text and gave him a quick call. After a minute, he was changing into his cleanest pair of jeans and a nice jacket he could find, grabbing his keys and leaving the apartment.  
He took a cab, typing a quick text to Jungwoo about his whereabouts and as soon as he saw the address Johnny had sent, he went in, showing his ID.  
That Kim Doyoung was at an underground club in the back streets was completely out of character. He saw Johnny's tall self, his head visible above all and quickly approached him.  
"What is happening?"  
Johnny, it seemed was a bit too many drinks in, as he hugged Jaehyun tight, half of his weight leaning on him as he whispered in his ear.

After getting his facts straight, Jaehyun grabbed the older and took him out from the gate, where he found a cab and gave the address, leaving a message for Taeil.  
He then went back inside, now having a faint idea of where to go and followed the wall, running back to where he supposed the employee’s rooms were, avoiding the crowd.  
He saw a door at the back, on the other side of the washrooms and went inside. It was a packed hallway and there were staff mulling about, a couple even giving him pointed looks, but he pointed towards the rooms and went his way.  
He had very less idea of what to expect, as Johnny hadn’t been the most coherent and the music was loud enough to eat up half of his words.

He saw Taeyong's signature bright hair through the glass panel on the door and knocked. The older man opened it, looking quite agitated. He took a good long look at Jaehyun, one that conveyed his suffering as he opened the door to let the man in.  
Ten and Doyoung were both inside, along with two men who were both alphas and quite clearly angry. 

Ten was in a shouting match with them, and as soon as the door behind him shut, Jaehyun's ears popped.  
Doyoung was also arguing with them, standing behind Ten, and Jaehyun just looked at Taeyong, seeking guidance. Johnny had just told him to get there because Doyoung was there.

"Protect Doyoung, stay with him, and as soon as Ten and I are done performing, make sure he gets home, as in inside the door " Taeyong said, standing close to him in a whisper that was too low, emerging as a raw, rough command.  
Jaehyun could feel the pinpricks standing on the edge of his neck, Lee Taeyong was honestly something else.

He just nodded and after perceiving it and seemingly debating whether it was genuine or not and conveying an expression that sent all of it across.  
Both then heard a louder yell, as the other man had grabbed Tenby an arm, and Taeyong went in as well, standing in front of them, so they looked like a line, each arguing. Jaehyun went and stood behind Doyoung, to get the aesthetic right, and mostly to just say Hi to Doyoung as both the omegas had not heard him enter and approach, focused on the argument.

Through the shouts and noises, he was able to decipher that it was about a working contract that allowed Ten and Taeyong to perform as dancers, but the alpha's who were managing it were disappointed that both were mated.  
Some sort of agreement seemed to have been reached, but Jaehyun was too busy ogling Doyoung's back. He had a really good-looking body, with broad shoulders and tall limbs, but he was still somehow skinny, not to mention his hair was in a soft brown colour, and all Jaehyun wanted was to run his hands through it.

As the shouting lessened, the pheromones in the air decreased and Jaehyun could tell the exact moment, he took a breath and his own scent infiltrated Doyoung's nostrils.  
His posture, which had been Tense seemed to sag up, and Jaehyun was worried, how he felt about it. Was Doyoung sad about Jaehyun being here? was he avoiding him by using Ten and Taeyong as a guise?

Before either could say anything, Ten spoke up.  
"Jaehyun Jung, you can go outside, I have to change, but its otherwise nice to meet you." Jaehyun just dumbly nodded.

Maybe he had become too accustomed to listening to omegas around him as he turned around and left, standing by the door.  
He had no idea what he was feeling, an excitement that he was going to meet Doyoung? yes, but now it had settled in as something deeper. 

He was not going to be the one to approach Doyoung, but here he was now, in this situation, and was wondering what he should do, when the door opened again, this time Doyoung coming out, as he came and stood next to Jaehyun. they weren't touching, but there was less distance than what could be.

Jaehyun gave a side look to see if Doyoung wanted to say anything, and it seemed that the man was content, fiddling with his fingers as he had an unreadable expression on his face. Jaehyun just looked at the floor, and he thought how funny the both of them would be looking to those from a third-person perspective, both looking cool and leaning against a wall in a club, probably good friends or something more, when they had only spoken a few words amongst them, just a one-sided introduction.

"I am Kim Doyoung." 

Jaehyun looked to his side so fact, he worried he might get whiplash.  
"That day, you introduced yourself, but I couldn't. I thought," the man looked up now, meeting Jaehyun's eyes, and he could see the emotions in them, swirling.

It was very obvious that this was not easy for Doyoung, he wasn't someone who felt embarrassed or someone who liked not being in control of things, but he was talking to Jaehyun, even if he felt awkward about it, so all Jaehyun could do was, emit his most calming pheromones, and show as much sincerity on his face as possible.

The omega took a moment to let all of that set in, and then spoke again, "I thought you were Jungwoo's mate." 

Jaehyun froze for a second, as he tried to understand the connotations behind that statement.

Jaehyun let his head fall backward hitting the wall, and Doyoung almost winced, but he just felt like someone had taken Atlas off his back. His knees lost strength, and he found himself crouching, until he couldn't go lower, his head still against the wall.  
He just shifted a bit to his left, looking up at Doyoung, a smile now gracing his face, as spoke, finally, "I thought you were Taeyong's," only to see his eyes almost bulge out, as if unbelieving. Jaehyun just smiled.  
Doyoung offered him an arm, and Jaehyun grabbed it, standing up, as he felt the pinpricks again.  
Yep and confirmed, Kim Doyoung was his mate.

"Why did you think I was Taeyong's? He is mated." Doyoung asked, still apparently confused.  
" You smell like him, and he was always around you. I thought you were in a three-way relationship, because why wouldn't they want you?" Jaehyun said the last part accompanied with a smirk.

Doyoung's frozen up expression was almost comical, and every passing moment, Jaehyun could see his cheeks get red, and him getting embarrassed, but before that, Doyoung stepped forward and leaned his head over Jaehyun's shoulder, his palms still covering his face. It was not Jaehyun's turn to blush as the tips of his ears turned red.

Doyoung took a whiff of him again, and Jaehyun wrapped his arms around him. Of course, they fit perfectly. This was here a person, Jaehyun knew very little about, yet with him, in his arms, Jaehyun felt almost invincible. He hugged him a bit tighter again, and Doyoung readjusted himself, so now his arms were around Jaehyun's neck.

He could feel their scents interacting with each other and settling together. it wasn't a great idea to scent each other in a dingy club hallway, bunder no circumstances were Jaehyun going to be the one to detangle himself fist.  
He relocated his nose to Doyoung's neck and took a good long whiff, feeling his scent assimilate in the pores of his skin, he felt slightly overwhelmed, as it was good enough to bite, and he understood why Jungwoo and Xuxi had mated so early. neither of them were either in heat or rut, yet the electricity around them was charged. It felt like holding onto Doyoung was either channelling him into a different world, and at the same time, the only thing that held him up.

Doyoung was both, his sea and his anchor, and know Jaehyun had a new perspective. it was someone badgering at his arm that made him open his eyes, bringing him back to the realty. both of them were holding on to each other, and where Ten was abusing his arm, Taeyong was shaking Doyoung. both of them turned to look at each other, and a slow smile made way on both their faces.  
Both of them took a step backwards, the smile still on, and then Doyoung turned to Taeyong, smiling, and both of them hugged, as Ten jumped, literally jumped over them both, shouting about how should also be included.  
After a moment, Jaehyun found himself back in the room sitting in on a chair as Ten applied some very careful makeup to Taeyong’s eyes, while Doyoung was fixing his hair a bit.

"Jaehyun-shi, I didn’t think you would imprint on Doyoung so soon, that too in a hallway. We need you to be more romantic, especially given you are a Valentine's boy" Ten threw a teasing glance his way.  
Jaehyun just smiled as Doyoung asked him to shut up. It seemed that Taeyong had something to add as well, but Ten just applied some lip gloss and then sat down on his lap, applying his makeup. They were both done in barely a minute and then Doyoung was near him, offering his hand, which Jaehyun grabbed.

He had no idea what was happening. He whispered the same in Doyoung's ear, who for a moment froze up, a blush covering him, as he breathed, leading out a long sigh.  
Ten and Taeyong were performing and they had a bout of rivalry with another group that was to perform, so it was basically a competition and Ten took those very seriously.  
Outside, it was almost a fight club, as there was a raised stage, which Jaehyun was sure had not been earlier. Ten was performing first, followed by a apparently sexy strip performance by Taeyong, which was also his speciality, and then their duet.

As Ten went to the stage first, Taeyong came by, telling him again to leave as soon as both of them were done performing, as he was expecting some drama, and he wanted Doyoung safe and out, as the pheromones still could trigger him.

Jaehyun nodded seriously, glad that at least his friends were trusting him with Doyoung. he saw more than just a couple of eyes on him, as he looked almost as good as Taeyong and Ten himself, some stray glitter having made way on his face and collarbones. 

Doyoung's collarbones and shoulders deserved a study of their own. Jaehyun went on to stand behind him, and as soon as the first beats of the music started, he was glad he was behind him, as he could feel people pushing against him. He tried to contain as much pressure as possible, so as to not seemingly grinding against Doyoung. Doyoung just turned, around to look at him, and moved a bit to his side, and somehow, both were able to stand comfortable.

The performance itself was better than any Jaehyun had seen. He only jokingly called Tenant Taeyong as demon spawn, but Ten's performance was of him portraying a demon, or rather an fallen angel, who becomes a demon. he also did a flip, that Jaehyun was sure was back breaking. Jaehyun and the rest of the crowd let out a gasp, and he felt Doyoung's gaze, foretelling of the shock at just how good Ten was.

Before he could even say anything, the music changed again, and this time, there was a complete darkness. Suddenly, a focus light came to the centre, where a metal chair was placed. Before anything else, He saw Taeyong sit and then the beat started. It was a performance that would be at home at the highest class of club. Taeyong clapped his feet studded in golden shoes. His body flowed smoothly, and one could only focus on so much, as everything seemed to be screaming and demanding attention. His bright hair shone in the darkness, the shoes demanded attention, and he swinging and rolling against the chair was more flexible than anything except probably his mate.  
Jaehyun would never say it out loud, but he had noticed that neither of the men were in universities and he had found out that neither were older than Johnny. He had judged them a bit, fuelled by his displeasure at them acting as walls between him and Doyoung, but now seeing them, it seemed that they both catapulted the entirety of this grungy club into a place of class, with just the quality of their performances. He felt a bit of his original inhabitations against them melt.

The end of it was followed by a thundering clap, and the crowd started to space out a bit, as the lights went out again, and this time a strong beat came up. It was Ten, in a tank top that seemed to match Taeyong’s shimmery cloth, leaning against a the chair. Soon Taeyong also joined hm on the stage, his golden shoes discarded, and the first half of his buttons all opened. In the previous performance, due to the light, Jaehyun hadn’t noticed but the pants he was wearing had cuts all over, matching Ten’s top that was also shredded. The beat continued picking up a bit of tempo, and Jaehyun watched flabbergasted, along the rest of the crowds, what was probable the sexiest performance he had seen. He couldn’t understand why the people earlier were against them being mated partners, as the story they told through their bodies was one so intimate, it was hard to ignore that this was a stage and a display.

Their bond could be felt through their performance, and they had their own fun bits as well, having fun with it. Ten jokingly scratched Taeyong and both somehow started doing their own things, circling around each other, yet it together looked like art.  
As soon as the performance ended, Jaehyun could feel the shift in the air, the other group was obviously not pleased at how good both of them were, and he could hear some arguments, but before they escalated, both of them, Jaehyun and Doyoung behind left the building. A lot of others also seemed to have the same idea, and Jaehyun was looking around for a cab, but Doyoung grabbed his hand and guided him to the side. Both of them continued in silence, and as the crowd disappeared, Doyoung let his hand fall. Jaehyun smiled to himself, as Doyoung was generally not a shy person yet in front of Jaehyun he became conscious of himself.

Both of them continued walking in silence and soon, there was a children’s park in front of a 24/7 store. Both of them entered it and Doyoung picked up some water and a bag of chips. He asked Jaehyun to pick up something and Jaehyun got a chocolate bar.  
Jaehyun tried to pay, but Doyoung stopped him, saying he was the hyung and hence he should treat Jaehyun.  
Jaehyun just smiled, happy to be there in the moment. They both took their snacks to the play ground and sat on a bench. 

The silence was comfortable but Jaehyun was itching to talk. “Why did you think I was Jungwoo’s mate?” Jaehyun asked, hoping it could get him some answers.  
“Jungwoo said his mate was younger than me, tall and his birthday in somewhere near Feb.” Doyoung said, albeit a bit timidly.  
“Ah! Yes, I can see why you would get confused. Xuxi is late January though, but he was out so we celebrated in Feb. And he is younger, younger than all of us I think.” Jaehyun said.  
He felt awkward. Being awkward was not a part of the plan.  
“Ten said both of us imprinted on each other.” Doyoung said after a while, and Jaehyun was done. He finished his bar and got up, taking Doyoung by the hands to the swings. Doyoung was a bit surprised but complied. 

“let’s see who can go higher?” Jaehyun said, and Doyoung just looked at him for a second as if he had lost al his senses, and then a softer expression took root for a tiny beat, replaced by competition as he squared his eyes and started kinking himself higher.

Jaehyun though Doyoung might win, but he went higher, to the extent that he decided to be a bit wild and jump from the top ( kids don’t do this, unless you have been doing it since you were three years old). He somehow executed his jump with a perfect finish, going so far as to present like a gymnast.  
Doyoung just grumbled at that. “ How come you are good at everything?” he asked.  
“I am not, I just..” Jaehyun was mumbling looking for words, but Doyoung pinched his cheeks.  
“ whoa!! You have such good skin.” Doyoung’s surprised expression really resembled that of a bunny and Jaehyun laughed.  
Doyoung also laughed along with him after a while.  
“ I am not that good at everything. Just look at us right now. Its so awkward.” Jaehyun said but Doyoung flashed a gummy smile. It was so cute Jaehyun wanted to make it his home screen.  
“It’s good that you should work a bit for the important things.” Doyoung said after a while, a hand perched on his shoulder, while he threw his jaw over it. 

“Oh! So you are important huh?” Jaehyun tried to tease a bit, but Doyoung’s expression flared up.  
“I am the most important. Since you are my mate now, you should be ready for it.” Doyoung said in mock seriousness, and Jaehyun felt warmth all over. He was sure his ear tips were red. His plan of being cool and calm had dissimulated in the air. He couldn’t wait for Doyoung to fall for him, since he was the first one who had.

Jaehyun just leaned on Doyoung’s shoulder, and as an arm came around him, Jaehyun looked up, only to see Doyoung looking up at him as well. There wasn’t much of a height difference, maybe half an inch, and he just leaned a bit to place a quick, chaste kiss on his mouth.

As far as first kisses went, it was too bad, and Doyoung seemed to have the same idea, as another arm came and held him by the front of his shirt, pulling him against him, and then Jaehyun, emboldened, took him by the back of his neck as well, deepening the kiss. He could feel Doyoung warming against him, as his stiffness melted and he was in his arms, supported and held, something he intended to do for a very long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave your comments and kudos.  
This was hard to write as Jaehyun is hard for me, so I am a bit worried about how it might have turned out.  
But I hope you all arent's disappointed.  
I will add an epilogue maybe a Christmas special or something like that? Send your suggestions.  
thank you for supporting this. (P<>P)


	6. The Christmas epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was promised, and this shall be delivered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I went by the story, and to all my readers, I salute. There are so many errors. I can not edit all of them, but I am looking for a beta to sweep through a bit.

It was all Taeil's idea, or rather it was his idea for Johnny, who was finally spending a Christmas at home. University was tiring, yes. But actual work was even worse. Johnny and Taeil would go for three to four days of no contact because the taller was traveling around somewhere, but their love still stayed strong. It was a three-year project and more than half of it had been done. Johnny had promised to come home to Taeil, and that in every aspect, it was Taeil. Whether it'd be him returning to bed in some hotel a continent over, or him finally settling in his car, for a long road trip to his next destination, he would rest, calm himself, and then call Taeil. They had seen each other more through the screens of Taeil's laptop and Johnny's phone, but they saw each other. Johnny, who loved traveling and exploring and had a job which allowed him to live his dream, to travel everywhere almost, in the world, he was content. Though never as content as he was when he would surprisingly drop by Seoul, making himself home in Taeil's apartment, which was also his. He had moved straight with him after Uni, though they did not really stay there, or stay anywhere.  
Johnny was coming for Christmas this year, however, and Taeil, being the eldest of all their friends started making calls.

The location was set up at Doyoung's and Jaehyun's apartment, since it was the prettiest really, and also one that most would remember, as they hadn't changed houses after moving out.

When Ten and Taeyong had received the message, it was via a voice message and Taeil sounded irritated as well. The couple couldn't blame him. The pre-Christmas dance competition was a thing, and Ten and Taeyong had to lead their 12 kids, the best ones from their new dance academy to success.

They had both been working tirelessly for the competitions, whether it'd be a ballet piece for little Yerim or a full-on Hip-hop routine for Daniel. Now that everything - all logistics were panned out, the couple got to some needed lovemaking, with the voice message machine playing in the back. They were a professional couple and were too busy for such simple pleasures of the skin. This was a new kink they were trying out really, and so far people around them thought that they were either not together, or breaking up. 

Doyoung had given one long-suffering look, before berating them both for taking role=play too far. He had left infuriated but had dropped the food he had prepared for them.  
Ten and Taeyong had no other plans than sitting around in their apartment, and the Christmas Party idea sounded wonderful. Ten sent a thumbs-up emoji, and Taeil replied in a string of swearwords (for Taeil), about them being the most insufferable humans to exist.

Yuta and Winwin lived in the same complex as Taeil, and Taeil had been gushing about the party while eating their food. Or rather the food they had ordered. Among the three of them, the best cook was Yuta, and only because he knew how to light up the stove, though the eggs he had tried to make were burnt. Sicheng had a culinary experience of blowing up Taeil's microwave by putting eggs in it, and Taeil mostly just waited for Johnny to cook anything. The three had entered into a compromise of ordering from the same place whenever Johnny was not around to cook, to the extent even the restaurant was sending them healthy food, as they were worried about their health. The three decided that getting to eat the other's cooking would be a sufficient Christmas gift to the restaurant staff.

Jungwoo was waiting by the campus, in the same spot Jaehyun used to stalk Doyoung from, when he saw Taeil's message, he smiled brightly and quickly replied. By the time Lucas got free from his class, Jungwoo was thinking of outfit ideas and food menus.  
"Babe, did you get Taeil hyung's message?" Lucas hugged him, and Jungwoo snuggled into his tall boyfriend, who was equally pretty.  
"Yes, we'll be the best-dressed couple."  
"You may be the best-dressed couple, but you won't be the best-dressed boyfriends," A voice next to them said, and they both looked down in an exaggerated motion, only to infuriate the younger and substantially shorter boy next to them.  
"Me, Jeno and Jaemin are going to be the best dressed." Renjun declared, and went away, probably spotting one of his two boyfriends, or one of his two best friends, or one of his two children - for that is what Jisung and Chenle were.

The bunch of them were weird.

Juhgwoo and Lucas looked at each other, but just then, a cold gust of wind blew by, and Jungwoo shivered a bit, in Lucas's hold and the alpha kissed him, just to keep him warm, leading him nearby to a warm cafe for some hot chocolate.

Donghyuck had received the invitation on their old group chat, the one that they had for work until the Dreamies as a unit were employed really. Doyoung was their Cheif manager, and they had a separate chat for employees, but it had other people in it as well. Donghyuck, as he made his way around the campus couldn't think of how it had so happened that he was employed, in his third year of Uni honestly, about to graduate, and doing great.

Half of it was because of how much Doyoung had babied and endlessly supported them. He was their first boss who had given a shit, and now Donghyuck was basically living with him, or rather Mark was and he stayed with him for most parts, if only to give NoRenMin privacy.

Lucas and Jungwoo had moved out of their fancy apartment into a tinier one, nearer to the uni, just for Lucas to have the full experience of a college student.

The apartment was too big for just two people, and so, Mark had moved in. Donghyuck remembered being surprised at how most of their group seemed to know the others, from school or work or uni.

He skipped into the apartment, seeing Mark standing by the balcony railing, smiling against the ray of sunbeam hitting his face. He looked something out of a music video, and Donghyuck took a picture, Mark smiling his slow, contained smile, and then, it wasn't fair on Donghyuck, as he strode over to him, hand in the hair and proceeded to kiss that smile onto his face.

They separated at the shouting.

"You both are tiny children. Please have better control of your selves." Doyoung whined, from the kitchen.

"Yes boss", they both saluted and went in to join Jaehyun, who was shuffling through Netflix.  
Both the boys screamed when they saw the latest season of Haikyuu was on, and Jaehyun looked back to Doyoung, his face conveying all the emotions, how they seemed to have two children now.  
How they were going to have one of their own soon.  
How Taeil's engagement announcement, as Jaehyun knew that Johnny was planning to pop the question when he came, was going to get overshadowed by their announcement, of a pup.  
Of how they had debated for hours before deciding that Jungwoo and Taeyong would be the god-parents, and Taeyong and Ten could be the god-grandparents.  
Of how the wedding was going to be proponed to Jaehyun's birthday, as any later would have Doyoung too swollen.  
Of how they were happy and in love.  
Of how they were once both adults, content by themselves but now together they were better, just more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first multi-chaptered work that has officially ended.  
Please leave comments and check out my other fics. I also take prompts for songs into fics.  
And, have a great next deacade, a great new year and an amazing time at Christmas.  
Enjoy a lot.


End file.
